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Genjo Sanzo
|kanji = 玄奘三蔵 |name = Genjo Sanzo |manga debut = Saiyuki Vol. 01, Introduction |anime debut = Gensoumaden Saiyuki Episode 1 |japanese voice = Toshihiko Seki |race = Human |gender = Male |age = hide text}} Genjo Sanzo (玄奘三蔵) is one of the main characters of Saiyuki. A Buddhist priest/monk, he is the one who brought the four together to travel to the west under command of the Three Aspects and the Goddess of Mercy. From his leadership derives the group's common nickname of Sanzo-ikkou ("Sanzo's group" or "Sanzo Party") {C Background His father was a government official named Rin Tokou. He was a political activist who was exiled to Oujyouin in Rishyu, the northern-most town of Togenkyo. He was 51 years old when he met Sanzo's mother, a woman named Kouran. She was aged 17 and the daughter of a shop peddlar. Sanzo's real parents abandoned him. He was placed in a basket left floating in a river. Before he could drown he was saved by Koumyou Sanzo. Koumyou named the boy Kouryuu, which means flow of the river, and took him to the Kinzan temple. From that time on he raised the boy like his own son and Kouryuu came to love and respect Koumyou. When Ukoku Sanzo (the youngest Sanzo to ever achieve the rank of High Priest) visited, Koumyo remarked that Ukoku and Kouryuu "look the same." For reasons still unknown at this point, Koumyou and Kouryuu's lives were put into danger. One night, Koumyou called Kouryuu in to speak with him, ordained the boy as his successor and gave him a formal Buddhist name. His finaI words were "Be strong now, Genjo Sanzo." At that moment, a gang of youkai broke into the room demanding Koumyou's two sutras. In an effort to save the boy, Koumyou protected Kouryuu and gave his life. The Seiten Sutra, which he was wearing, was stolen by the killers. (In the present, Sanzo wonders if maybe Ukoku had something to do with Koumyou's death, but nothing so far has been uncovered and Koumyou's death has never been fully explained.) {C Kouryuu told the temple what he had witnessed and was unjustly accused of killing Koumyou himself, but the truth was proven when he showed the red chakra spot, a mark of divine approval, that had appeared on his brow. He announced his intention to leave the temple at once, find the murderers and retrieve the Seiten Sutra. He was formally appointed the newest Sanzo Priest - the "31st of China" - and given his priestly regalia; charge of the Maten Sutra, his master's second sacred scripture; and a weapon from the temple's armory, the demon-killing shoreijuu ''or "banishing gun". Little is known of his wanderings for approximately the next ten years, except that he was forced to kill many times. Sanzo eventually came to Chang'an, to ask the three aspects for information on the whereabouts of the Seiten Sutra. He recieved orders to stay in Chang'an, despite wanting to look for the sutra, because his eyes were "dead", and he "wouldn't even recognize it". While in Chang'an, Sanzo, beset by horrible nightmares from his past, shut himself away in the temple and prayed. The other monks commented that he did not recite any sutras during this time. One night, restlessly prowling the halls, he met the head priest, Archbishop Jikaku, smoking. Sanzo - who did not approve of smoking at this time - talked with the older man, who jokingly referred to him as a 'demon', because of his golden hair and his habit of appearing only by moonlight. On their second meeting, Jikaku offered his box of cigarettes to the young Sanzo; they were grudgingly accepted. A few nights after that, the temple was attacked by men intending to take Sanzo's life. In order to protect him, Jikaku claimed that he himself was Genjyo Sanzo. Needless to say, the priest died, smoking one of his cigarettes. His final words, almost an exact mirror of what Koumyou told him, enraged Sanzo, who attacked the men and spotted a yokai among them. With his gun in the demon's mouth, he asked whether or not he knew where the missing sutra was. He killed the youkai when he couldn't answer, saying "I'll live enough...for ALL you bastards." After that night, he assumes the position of head of the Keiun temple. His past nightmares dissappear and in their place, he hears a strange 'voice' calling him. He is seen smoking a cigarette and staring out at the moon, complaining that the 'old fart' Jikaku didn't leave him a lighter. Some time after this, Sanzo sets out to find the mysterious voice that haunts him. He states that he wants to find the person responsible and silence them. He travels to Mount Gogyou, and learns from the villagers of a legend pertaining to the mountain. Pushing away their advice, he climbs the mountain anyway and finds a sort of prison formed out of the rocks. He sees Son Goku for the first time, and lets him out of the prison. Although he has no intention of looking after him, Sanzo takes the youkai back to the temple and becomes his caretaker. Years after that, Sanzo recieves the mission to journey west and stop the Minus Wave - a mysterious signal that makes youkai lose their sanity. Personality Sanzo is not very open to anyone, and sees even the most trifling thing as being annoying. He is not overly fond of children or animals, but seems to be fine around Goku and Hakuryuu. He even indulges Lirin either by giving her a treat or letting her hang on his shoulders without much complaint. He is indifferent, short tempered, and a rational thinker; most of the time he won't fight unless absolutely necessary. He is most easily annoyed by Sha Gojyo and Goku's constant bickering. Most of the time, he solves this problem by threatening to punish them or firing his gun at them to get them to shut up. When they're resting, he usually reads the newspaper and drinks a beer or cup of tea. Though the rest of the ikkou are his only friends, he refuses to admit it; he typically describes them as his servants, and is never grateful no matter how many times they rescue him from death. In particular, he hates being pressed to defend his unusual position as a human traveling with youkai companions. Despite his gruff and impersonal attitude, however, he cares deeply for his companions, though he is loath to acknowledge it, and is quick to defend others in need. He and Goku spend the most time together, owing to the fact that they've known each other for so long. Sanzo often - though grudgingly - takes a parental role in Goku's life and has been responsible for his upbringing. When Goku was attacked, Sanzo was so stunned that he froze and could not move or respond, forcing Cho Hakkai to actually slap him to bring him around. Realizing what had happened - probably more than Gojyo and Hakkai - he bolted away to find the perpetrator ( later revealed to be Ukoku) and kill him. Weapons Sanzo has two main weapons that he uses periodically; those being his Maten Sutra and the gun he's carried with him since he first became a Sanzo priest. He hardly ever fights without his gun and the Sutra on his shoulders, and is seen as a very formidable foe when forced to fight. Banishing Gun : The "first " revolver in the Saiyuki Anime Saga was a ficticious "break-top" that resembled a stainless Webley. The "second" and final revolver was clearly a stainless steel S&W M36 or "Chief Special", a lightweight 5 shot .38 special with a 2 inch barrel. : A five-shot Smith and Wesson revolver that Sanzo uses in most of his battles. He is an expert marksman, and rarely misses a target. Sanzo's gun has most likely been modified - due to his priestly activities - and has been called the anime a 'banishing gun.' (The word used for it, ''shoreijuu, '' literally means "rising/fleeing spirit gun".) This gun has the ability to quiet angry spirits and kill yokai. It can also destroy cursed objects, such as the yokai armor from episode 25 of Gensomaden Saiyuki. It can also shoot through seals and magic. No other character's weapon can perform any of these feats. Maten Sutra : ''for other articles related to Maten Kyoumon, See The Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth Translated as the 'scripture of darkness' it is the Sutra that Genjyo Sanzo carries. All Sanzo are required to protect one of the five Sutras. Most of the time, it sits on Sanzo's shoulders, and it is mentioned in passing. Kougaiji has tried many times to take the Sutra but has failed. It has been said that with the five Sutras collected, Gyumaoh can be resurrected. In order to use the scripture he has to say a chant, ending in the command Makai Tenjo, at which point, the scripture is activated. The only time Sanzo really uses the Sutra is when he can't use his gun or Goku's diadem has been broken/removed. He is the only character so far to be able to reconstruct Goku's diadem, besides the gods. He is also somewhat of a match to the Sage; as seen when he fights him in the anime. It is speculated this is due to him retaining some of his godlike power from his previous incarnation as Kouzen Doji. Trivia *A running gag in the series is characters' reference to Sanzo as an old man due to his habit of going to bed early and wearing glasses to read the newspaper. He is easily annoyed by this, especially when Gojyo calls him that. *So far, Sanzo is always second when it comes to card games. The first being Hakkai and third and fourth belonging to Gojyo and Goku respectively. *Sanzo has been referred to as "Droopy eyes" and "Baldy" (mostly by Gojyo and Lirin). "Baldy" is a common insult to monks, who typically shave their heads (another way in which Sanzo is far from being a typical monk!). "Namagusa bouzo", stinking monk, is another typical insult of Gojyo's; this specifically refers to a monk who breaks his vows, such as not eating meat, which makes one's breath smell bad. *The story of his origin is quite similar to the original version (Chinese Novel - Journey to the West) where Ukoku (Saiyuki Reload) stated that his father has government position but was killed. *His preferred cigarette brand is filtered Marlboro Reds, as seen in Saiyuki manga vol. 9. *Sanzo's addiction for mayonaise is too much he places it on his ramen. *Sanzo wears boots under his robes in Reload. *Sanzo's voice actor is Toshihiko Seki while in English is David Matranga. In Reload and Reload Gunlock was Lee Lang. Category:Main Characters Category:Characters Category:Characters